“I’m back.”
It was late in the early morning when Ji-yeon returned after finishing her studies.
Today, she had been able to concentrate well and lost track of time in the study hall.
Being somewhat of a mood-based person, she felt she had to study a lot on days like this.
Yawning with her backpack slung over her shoulder, Ji-yeon came home and faced the figure sitting at the dining table, as if waiting for her.
“You’re back.”
“Mom, you’re not asleep yet?”
“Sit for a moment.”
The woman sitting at the dining table, Ji-yeon’s mother, gestured to her as if she had something to say.
“How is Ji-eun these days?”
“…My sister?”
Ji-yeon was a bit taken aback as she hadn’t expected her mother to mention her sister.
She thought her mother would ask something about her grades or if she was short on pocket money.
The relationship between her sister and mother was, to say the least, terrible.
Since ‘that incident,’ her sister had left home, and it had become an unspoken rule not to mention her at home.
Like Voldemort, the name Ji-eun wasn’t to be uttered in front of her mother.
There were times when she discussed her sister with her father, but with her mother, they had never talked about her since she left.
“Didn’t you go to visit where your sister is sometimes? Like when you said you were sleeping over at a friend’s house.”
“How did you know?”
“Your eyelids twitch when you lie.”
Is it a lack of magnesium? I should change my vitamins.
Ji-yeon felt a sense of unfamiliarity from her mother’s mumblings.
Her mother was an admirable and respectable figure both as a parent and as a person, but she was not particularly affectionate towards her family.
Compared to her father, who took great care of his children and managed the family atmosphere, her mother was quite blunt.
Ji-yeon realized she had grown up feeling more paternal love than maternal love.
She guessed her sister must have felt the same way.
It was surprising to her that her mother was attentive enough to notice her little lies.
“But why is it about Ji-eun?”
“Oh, it’s nothing special.”
Her mother picked up her cellphone to show her something.
It was something Ji-yeon was familiar with.
“Is Ji-eun… doing well?”
It was Ji-eun’s YouTube channel, which her mother had never expected to mention.
On the screen, her sister was focused, playing games.
Fearing that her mother might misunderstand, Ji-yeon hurriedly added, “Oh, this is a broadcast. People watch my sister play games.”
“It seems that way. I looked it up, and Ji-eun has a lot of fans.”
“Yes… among people who stream, she’s the most popular.”
“Of course, whose child is she?”
Usually, Ji-yeon would excitedly boast about her sister more at such moments.
However, her mother’s face held a certain nostalgia, leaving Ji-yeon unable to respond.
“Could you tell Ji-eun something for me?”
After hesitating for a moment, her mother continued.
“She said she misses you.”
What is family?
It’s a sudden confession, but I’m an orphan.
Abandoned at birth, I grew up in an orphanage, and while there was no familial closeness with the director or other children, the orphanage was relatively ethical, allowing me to step into society after much effort.
For someone like me, other social individuals with real families were difficult to understand.
As an unaware student, I often suffered from trivial matters.
Children, with their inherent cruelty, made me weary through their subtle gossip and rumors, different from the insidious adults.
Some naughty friends even dared to ask me outright if I really had no parents and what it felt like to live as an orphan.
With no adults—neither parents nor teachers—watching my back, I had no choice but to endure.
For me, other kids with families were both an object of envy and jealousy.
By the time I became an adult and started rolling along in society, I had become completely indifferent.
Once I made a few friends who understood me and settled in, I found ways to survive.
In fact, there were times when I encountered families where not having parents was better.
All of these were memories from my childhood.
Having grown up without family, I initially found it challenging to relate to Ji-yeon.
Now, she had become an indispensable and special presence in my life.
However, the sudden message Ji-yeon conveyed upon her long visit sent me into a state of surprise.
“Um… my sister. Mom wants to see you.”
There was a time I had that thought.
When I first met Ji-yeon, I wondered if I could take on the role of her sister.
If I were to assess the reality, I was merely an outsider occupying this body, questioning if I could truly call them family.
There was even a hypothesis that my past memories, when I was originally the real Ji-eun and a man, were all based on my mental illness.
However, for that to be the case, all those memories would be my delusions, and my imagination wasn’t that vivid.
“Sure, when can I go meet her?”
“Uh, what?”
Ji-yeon, who had been hesitant, lifted her head as if she hadn’t expected to hear that.
I had resolved that worry long ago.
I knew this kind of situation would eventually come.
After all, since I had taken on this body, it was something I had to face.
“Is today okay? It seems like Mom wants to see you as soon as possible.”
But I hadn’t expected it to be this soon.
“Is the food to your liking?”
“Yes, it’s delicious.”
To be honest, I wasn’t quite sure if the food was going in my mouth or nose.
The first impression I got when I saw Ji-yeon’s mother, the mother of Ji-eun and Ji-yeon, was that I understood where the sisters’ remarkable looks came from.
Though Ji-yeon resembled her more than Ji-eun did.
Ji-eun seemed to take after their father more.
“Are you managing well?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
Many things had happened during that time, but I couldn’t elaborate on everything in detail.
In conclusion, I was indeed doing well now.
More than that, I couldn’t quite figure out how Ji-eun and her mother used to converse, so I was cautiously responding.
It seemed they weren’t very affectionate towards each other.
From my stiff and awkward responses, it was evident that they had no further comments.
“When you’re full, it’s okay to stop eating.”
Yet, a mother is still a mother, as she accurately gauged Ji-eun’s appetite.
She waved her hand, and the housekeeper cleared away my dishes and rice bowl to make room, then brought out tea.
In elegant teacups, hot water was served with tea leaves floating on top. Whatever it was, the aroma was extraordinary, indicating it wasn’t an ordinary commodity.
Upon entering the house and looking at its size and interior, I was convinced.
By my standards, Ji-eun and Ji-yeon’s family was at least middle class or above.
What could possibly prompt Ji-eun to move out of such a wealthy home to live separately, especially when her job wasn’t in that direction?
As time passed in this place, my questions grew naturally.
“Is broadcasting fun?”
“Um, yes, it’s enjoyable.”
“Drink slowly; you’ll get a stomachache.”
Turning my head, I gave Ji-yeon a quick glance, who shook her head in response.
That meant she wasn’t the one to say it. Among her mother’s generation, many might not know me, so perhaps my mother was more modern than I thought.
“It seems they do commentary on TV.”
“Yes, I happened to have the opportunity…”
“Your father enjoys watching it. Whenever he goes to his study, that’s all he watches.”
Hmm, a daughter who does commentary for a gaming channel, and a father who loves watching it.
I felt that my upcoming meeting with the father I hadn’t yet met would also be challenging in a different way.
“Right, Dad brags about you all the time. He says you’re amazing.”
“Well, I suppose it is somewhat impressive. After all, it is like being a celebrity.”
As Ji-yeon chimed in, her mother smiled pleasantly and continued the conversation.
It was a lovely sight, as if to reveal a harmonious family, that is, unless I was the topic of conversation.
Hearing praises of myself right in front of me felt quite embarrassing.
“Ji-eun must be tired; you broadcasted yesterday too, right? If you’ve finished eating, go upstairs and rest a bit. You can sleep for a little while. Sometimes the broadcast runs until dawn.”
“Right, Ji-eun, go ahead and sleep.”
The duo’s harmony was striking. They mirrored each other in both appearance and personality.
After finishing dinner, I accepted the suggestion and headed up the stairs.
I wondered what I would do if I couldn’t find my room in a house with stairs and many rooms, but right in front of the door was a cute sign that read “Ji-eun’s Room.”
A room left to me, thanks to Ji-yeon’s consideration to tell me to rest.
Entering the space that belongs to Ji-eun, I felt immensely awkward.
Starting with the pink blankets and bed, I was relieved that at least the wallpaper wasn’t pink.
Sitting in that unfamiliar space, I started thinking.
Why did Ji-eun choose to live independently away from home?
I suspected that it had something to do with her relationship with their mother, but now it felt unclear.
From what I had seen just a moment ago, it seemed like there was a lack of expressions of affection, but her mother clearly loved her children.
After pondering for a long time, I unknowingly fell asleep, waking up in the early dawn due to thirst.
I finally learned the reason behind Ji-eun living alone.
